The teenage years can be a difficult time filled with changes and challenges for both teens and parents. If your teen is struggling, it’s not to say they won’t make any gains from seeing a therapist but imagine the leaps they could jump if you as a parent work on your relationship with them and join them in therapy?
It may seem like an impossible task since many adolescents refuse to attend counseling, however sometimes if a parent is willing to admit they need to work on their issues too — it could encourage your teen to get started.
How does family therapy work?
During family therapy sessions, you’ll work with a therapist to examine how one family member’s behaviors affect them and their relationships with other family members. To help families work together toward a healthier home life, family therapists help family members develop new ways to communicate, improve family interactions, and navigate challenging situations as a team.
What are the benefits of family therapy for teens?
Family therapy helps families communicate more effectively, build stronger relationships, and navigate stressful situations for a more peaceful and connected home life. It can help family members navigate life transitions, problematic patterns of interaction, psychological problems, and other sources of family conflict.
5 Ways family therapy can help your teenager:
1. Communication. Having a neutral party, such as a therapist, can help improve communication skills and understanding from family members. It allows each family member to better understand each other’s perspectives which can lead to productive problem solving.
2. Boundaries. Young people need boundaries, and most secretly want them. With a family therapist, it can help you learn how to set healthy, appropriate boundaries and respect family members’ boundaries. This includes helping you set reasonable curfews as well as technology agreements.
3. Connectedness. Meeting as a group through family therapy can help cultivate empathy and understanding towards each other in a neutral environment. The therapy process itself can bring families closer together. Feeling understood and supported is vital for teens.
4. Support. Life can throw us curveballs, but for a teenager it can feel like a tsunami. If a parent is going through a divorce or there is a death in the family (or close friend), adolescents will struggle emotionally and need family support. Therapy helps the whole family cope and adjust.
5. Mental Health. Over the past several years, teen depression, anxiety and self-harm has nearly doubled — this includes suicidal ideation. This can also lead to self-medication such as substance use.
It is not uncommon for teenagers to experience mood swings. If your teen is severely depressed, it may be time to attend a family therapy program. Anxiety and depression are challenging for teens to understand. And it is also helpful for parents to consider how they can support the teens in their lives. Your teen needs your understanding to not turn to drugs or alcohol to subdue their feelings. Treatment for substance use disorder can help your teen get on the right path.
Conclusion
Family therapy can help parents learn how to offer teens unconditional support. Therapy sessions can open the door for honest conversations with your teenager, helping you identify negative behavior patterns and red flags to watch out for. It can also help parents understand the signs of depression or other mental health symptoms to better support their teen and create a healthy family environment to promote healing.
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